Horsewoman Jessica Mills was ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation to the teenager for damaging his car with her riding crop

A horsewoman was so enraged when a teenager beeped his horn as she rode down a country lane she beat his car with her riding crop.

Jessica Mills was concerned her horse, Billie Bob, would be spooked when 18-year-old Jacob Knox sounded the horn of his £30,000 Audi A5 near the village of Mottram St Andrew in Cheshire.

After a heated exchange, the 29-year-old threw the leather crop at the vehicle, a court heard.

The teenage entrepreneur claimed the incident caused £1,700 worth of damage to the windscreen and bonnet of his new car, and told police Ms Mills had used her horse as 'a weapon' during their encounter.

Ms Mills has been forced to pay £1,500 compensation to Knox, who has three penalty points on his license for using a mobile phone while driving, after admitting criminal damage.

The waitress, who lives on a farm in Woodford said she has been made to feel like a criminal for trying to protect herself and her horse.

Macclesfield Magistrates' Court heard how the incident unfolded as the 18-year-old tried to overtake Ms Mills who was riding with a friend, Samantha Chesters, in June.

Prosecuting Debbie Byrne said: 'He drove behind them for around 30 seconds before trying to overtake.

'He then saw the horse move towards the middle of the road blocking his
route. He beeped his horn to make sure the rider was aware of his
presence but Mills began shouting.

'He tried to pass the horses and he saw Mills grab the whip. He
accelerated as she threw her whip and shouted. The whip cracked his
windscreen and bonnet.'

But, eyewitness Miss Chesters told the court: 'I knew the Audi was behind us because I could hear the engine.

Jessica Mills, pictured at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court (right), said she has been made to feel like a criminal for what she described as trying to protect herself and her horse

'It slowed and followed us for seconds before I heard a 2-3 second horn.
The Audi was two metres behind the back legs of the horses.

'Jessica and I had a brief conversation about the driver and she turned
her horse round so she was facing in the opposite direction and started
to approach the Audi.

'He started to reverse and ended up four cars away from his original
position. She followed it and shouted for the driver. She was saying how
dangerous it was to beep the horn and how they could have got scared.

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'She eventually returned and we both spoke about how ridiculous it was and carried on.

The court heard how the Audi then
returned and passed the two women 'at speed'. Miss Chesters recalled how
it was at this point her friend 'threw her whip' which landed on the
car's roof and 'bounced off'.

'When it got ahead of us it angled itself across the road so we couldn’t
get by. He refused to get out and there was a lot of shouting between
her and the driver.

'He then got out and walked towards us. The driver then told Jessica to
ring the police as she had damaged his vehicle. I asked where the damage
was and he said ‘here’ and pointed to the windscreen and bonnet.

'The damage was low down and looked like it had been caused earlier. The
whole incident lasted for two minutes and was uncalled for.

'The driver of the car was totally inconsiderate as he had no reason to
beep his horn and he shouldn’t have driven past us as fast.'

In a different version of events, internet entrepreneur Knox said: 'I waited behind the horses until the road was clear so started to overtake the horses as a normal person would.

'I did sound the horn when I was overtaking because they were not concentrating they were chatting so the horse moved over onto the white line so I was on the embankment so I had to let them know I was next to it.

The experienced horsewoman claims she asked the teenager if he was aware of the highway code before throwing her crop at his car. She feared her horse would spook after Jacob Knox beeped his horn

'As I beeped the horn I was called rude names. She started walking her horse towards me and it was very close and she was using it to intimidate me. After I reversed and got a bit of distance she calmed down but then wouldn’t let me past on purpose out of spite.

'There was enough room to pass. When I went to overtake she was still calling me rude names and as I went past I saw her lift up her riding whip with a metal handle and she threw it at the car and it hit the bonnet, windscreen and roof. I heard a really loud bang and saw the windscreen crack and realised what happened.

'The car is a 2010 Audi A5. I’ve had
it since February this year. The car was spotless with no damage
whatsoever. It’s a really nice car, I love it.

'I
worked hard to afford it so I take good care of it. I’m not sure if it
was appropriate to beep but I was making them aware of my presence. I
have written an apology letter for beeping my horn.'

The incident was described by the defendant's lawyer as 'a meeting of minds' during which the teenage driver 'lost patience'.

The
incident which bears a slight resemblance to a Fawlty Towers sketch in
which beloved character, Basil, beats his little red car in a fit of
rage after many failed attempts to park.

The incident bears some resemblance to Fawlty Towers sketch in which Basil beats his car with a tree branch in a fit of rage

The reality of the situation is no laughing matter for Ms Mills however who, speaking after the case, said: 'At the time I asked him if he knew the High Way Code and suggested he go back home to learn it.

'I was only protecting my horse and I am very upset at what’s happened. I haven’t ridden since, I have tried to sit on a horse but I can’t. I am now at a point where I am that scared of something happening I can’t ride.

'Riders have to be more aware of cars and riders have to be polite and I am always courteous. But cars have to be aware that horses are wild animals and have their own minds and I wish motorists would understand.'

Mr Knox said: 'I just want someone to pay for the damage they have caused. She did throw the whip and I beeped my horn but I was the calm one.'